Yes, off-shore communication has certainly improved unbelievably over the years.
From my 29 years experience off-shore starting in 1987 on a still being commissioned oil & gas production platform 155 miles N.E. of Aberdeen with a POB of 1600 between platform & flotel, at that time the second largest north sea installation, communication was indeed very basic for all except top management.
One, personal 5 minute phone call per week (on a 2 week work cycle) via the switchboard operator in Aberdeen was the allocation which was strictly monitored, warning issued @ 5 minutes then 30 sec's later the "plug was pulled".
Most people still wrote & received letters carried & delivered to/from Aberdeen by colleagues in transit.
The comm's logistics was, LOS to adjacent, company platform then Tropo (Tropospheric Scatter) to east coast of Scotland, HF radio was still quite extensively in use, certainly on drilling rigs and smaller installations.
In the BBC-2 documentary "Fire in the Night" relating the terrible events of July 1988 and the loss of 167 souls on the Occidental Piper Alpha platform, on shore communication can be clearly heard to be by HF radio.
Then satellite came along and quite revolutionised data & voice communication, LOS/Tropo was used in tandem for a few years but eventually completely phased out.
With the installation of a third company platform in 1993 a sub-sea 33 KV. power grid was commisioned which incorporated fibre optic capability for inter platform comm's., LOS remaining as a backup.
Card, pay-phones appeared along the way for personal communication which was certainly an improvement but quite costly, someone was making money on these !
Many years later, the company relented and converted the pay phones to free.
Internet access started to appear around 1997 but strictly controlled, management only or by special dispensation for legitimate business activities only.
Within a few years, things relaxed and full internet access was permitted to all "staff" employees.
A few more years and everyone was permitted access, Wi-Fi etc. set up in public areas.
A bit of an insight on how it used to be in the good old days !
